While there is sufficient evidence to indicate that the Judaism of the first century was broad and flexible enough to contain many currents of thought, we must recognize the fact that from the beginning there was something new in Christianity. To be sure, it was at first assumed to be another Jewish sect; yet its recognition of Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah and its belief that the end-time had come shifted its center of gravity to such a degree that in time it was bound to come into conflict with various other theological configurations in Judaism. The figure of Stephen represents this inherent tension and potential struggle between the church and the temple.
- from page 10, Stephen: A Singular Saint